North Vietnam – Hanoi, Halong Bay & Mai Chau:

Dates:	Friday, April 2 to Monday, April 4
Price:	RMB 11,455 p.p.
	Single supplement: RMB 3,365
	Child w/ bed: RMB 8,100
Deposit:	Due by April 16
Balance:	Due by April 16

Hanoi could easily be considered one of the most beautiful Asian cities. French colonial edifices and lovely lakes contrast with the labyrinth of alleys in Old Hanoi. Arts are seeing a renaissance in the Vietnamese capital, and excursions outside Hanoi give you excellent insight into rural Vietnamese life. Mai Chau is home to remote hill tribes and surprisingly few tourists and we will stay in comfort at the newly opened Mai Chau Lodge. Our other excursion is to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with hundreds of limestone peaks jutting out of the waters in the Bay of Tonkin.

DAY 1
Fly from Shanghai to Hanoi where we will check in to the Melia Hotel.

DAY 2
Today we will enjoy a full day in Hanoi. In the morning we will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his former residence and the Temple of Literature. In the afternoon we will take a rickshaw ride through the alleys of the Old Quarter with a stop at Hoan Kiem Lake to visit the Ngoc Son Temple. We will also have some time for shopping in the Old Quarter. In the evening we will enjoy a water puppet show, a performing art unique to Vietnam.

DAY 3
This morning we will drive about four hours to Mai Chau where we will check into the Mai Chau Lodge. We will get an orientation of the lodge and the various optional activities such as nature walks, cycling and excursions to nearby hill tribe villages by buffalo cart. Dinner will be accompanied by a traditional dance performance by the local villagers.

DAY 4
After breakfast we will visit the nearby Mo Luong Cave (Soldier Cave) which used to be a military base. During the excursion, we will learn about the limestone caves and their history. We will have lunch in the Mai Chau Lodge before driving back to Hanoi where we will stay in the Melia Hotel again.

DAY 5
Today we will drive about three hours through the rustic Vietnamese countryside to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We will ride on a large junk boat in the Bay of Tonkin where will see hundreds of magnificent limestone peaks jutting out of the water. We will explore the limestone caves in the Bay and have a swim in the emerald waters. Back on board the junk boat, we will be served a delicious fresh seafood lunch. After disembarking, we will drive back to Hanoi.

DAY 6
We will transfer to the airport for our flight back from Hanoi to Shanghai.